The Meaning of Surnames.
An amateur's opinions.
British surnames have five sources of explanation. They are:-
Occupational. A description of their work or rank.
Locative. Where they came from. The name needed to be unique in the circle of the individual. e.g. John Kent would not be so known unless he left Kent and George Hall would be more likely to work at the manor than own it. Many suffixes give clues to these names such as thorpe - outlying dairy farm, ton - place of/farm, leigh - glade/clearing, den/dene - forest clearing/pig pasture, bottom - dell/valley bottom, stead - place/farm, ham - river meadow, don - hill, by - bend/corner, shaw - copse/thicket, gate/garth/yard - enclosure, dale - valley, hirst - wooded hill, worth - homestead, wick - dairy farm, combe/coombe (welsh cwm) - hollow in the flank of a hill, holme/home - river flat/ island in a fen. A final "s" signifies "at" not a plural.
Patronymic. Named for their father (rarely mother) but includes "servant of" and "residing with" (as above a final "s" can signify "at" as well as son or ownership). In Gaelic Mac- and Mc- mean "son of", O’- means "grandson of". The Welsh surnames are almost exclusively patronymic and were taken much later than in the rest of Britain. The remnants of "Hu ap (son of) Evan ap Rhys ap John - - - " can be seen in names like Pugh, Bevan, Preece and Upjohn as well as Hughes, Evans, Reece and Jones. A suffix of "ing" denotes "the people of" - e.g. "viking" comes from vik - a creek, inlet or fjord giving a meaning of "the people of the fjords" or "seamen".
Nickname. Descriptive of the person or their habits sometimes quite cruel or vulgar. Some names that appear to be obvious nicknames may not be so - Broadbottom for example would describe a piece if land.
Invented. An artificial name by intent or accident, in Australia we have what are known as gangplank names, written by an almost illiterate clerk from the spoken name of an illiterate immigrant or convict (a Scotsman named Butters became Butrose).
SURNAME TYPE MEANING ADAM Patronymic Son of Red (Hebrew) ALFREY Patronymic Son of Elf ALLEN Patronymic Son of Alan (all men) APSE Locative At the Aspen tree BAKER Occupational A baker BALL Nickname Bald BARTLETT Patronymic Son of little Bartholomew BAXTER Occupational A baker BAYLEY Occupational A bailiff BEARD Nickname Bearded BEAVIS Nickname Handsome BEECHING BETTS Patronymic Son of Beaton BLUNDELL Nickname Little fair haired BLUNT Nickname Fair Haired BOOTH Locative At the hut, shed, shelter BRABOURNE Locative From Brabant BRADLEY Locative At the broad clearing in the woods BRAY Locative At the brow of the hill BRIGGS Locative At the bridge BROOKES Locative At the brook BROOKS Locative At the brook BRUSALL BUDGE Patronymic Son of Bote (Messenger) BURCHETT Patronymic Son of Fort Hardy (Germanic) BURNS Locative At the stream BUTCHER Occupational A butcher BUTLER Occupational A butler (wine steward) CADE Occupational A cask maker CAIRLY CANNING Locative From Cannings, Wiltshire CANT Locative From Kent CANT Occupational A singer (chanter) CARMILL Locative Fort of Michael CARTER Occupational A cartmaker or carrier CLARKE Occupational A cleric/scholar CLEMENTS Patronymic Son of Clement (mild) COLLINS Patronymic Son of little Nicholas CONNELL Patronymic (McConal) Son of Conal (mighty) COOPER Occupational A tub/cask maker COWDREY Locative At the hazel copse COX Nickname Son of Cock (gaudy? conceited?) COY Nickname Shy/quiet CROKER Occupational A crockery maker CROUCH Locative At the cross CURTIS Nickname Courteous DALTON Locative At the dale farm DAVIES Patronymic Son of David DEAN Occupational A dean (chief of ten) DELVES Locative At the diggings DEVER Occupational A digger DOOLEY Patronymic Son of (black hero) DOOLING Patronymic Son of (black defiance) DRIES DUFFEL Locative At the dove field DUFFY Nickname Black man of peace DULY Locative At the dill clearing DUNKE Nickname Little brown warrior EAST Locative From the east EASTGATE Locative At the east gate EATHER EDWARDS Patronymic Son of Edward ELBY Nickname Elder (senior) ELFICKE Patronymic Son of Elf Fairy (Germanic) EMORY Patronymic (Amory) Son of Work Rule (Germanic) EPTON Locative At the upper farm ERFURT Locative At the boar ford FAIRHALL Locative At the beautiful/grand hall/manor FAVELL Nickname Tawny horse FEIL FERRY Locative At the ferry FOUNTAIN Locative At the spring FRANCIS Patronymic Son of Francis FRAZER Locative De Frisselle FRIEND Nickname Friend FROST Nickname White Haired FRY Nickname Freeborn or noble, generous GIBBS Patronymic Son of little Gilbert GILBERT Patronymic Pledge Bright (Germanic) GILPIN Nickname Bloated GILPIN Locative A river in Westmorland GREEN Locative At the village green HACK Patronymic Hook, crook HALL Locative At the hall/manor (servant more than owner) HAM Locative At the river meadow (Hamm) HARRIS Patronymic Son of Harry (the pronunciation of Henry) HARTCHER Locative At the gate HARVEY Patronymic Son of Battle/Carnage Worthy (Germanic) HERN Locative At the spit of land HICKS Patronymic Son of little Richard HIGGINS Patronymic Son of little Richard HIRST Locative At the Copse/wooded hill HIRTH Occupational Shepherd HOCKING Patronymic Descendant of Hoce's people (Friesian) HODGINS Patronymic Son of little Roger HOLMES Locative At the river flat/island in the fen HOPE Locative At the little blind valley HORTON Locative At the muddy place HOTHE Locative At the gorse HUNTLEY Locative At the hunters wood/clearing HUXTABLE Locative At the post on a spur of land HYETT IRONS Locative From Airan, Normandy IVEY Patronymic Son of little Ivor (Yew) JAMES Patronymic Son of James (Jacob) JENNER Occupational An engineer JOHNSON Patronymic Son of John (Yahweh/God) JOHNSONE Patronymic Son of John (Yahweh/God) JOHNSTON Patronymic Son of John (Yahweh/God) JUPP Occupational A maker of long woolen garments KENNEWELL Locative KENNY Locative From Kenne, Somerset KING Nickname From swagger, appearance or playing in pageant KINGWELL Locative At the King's well LACY Locative From Lassy in Calvados LAMBERT Locative From Lombardy LAMBERT Occupational A lamb herd LAMBERT Occupational Lombards were bankers so bankers were Lombards LAMBERT Patronymic Land Bright (Germanic) LANE Locative At the lane LANG Nickname Tall LAWRENCE Patronymic Laurentium or the saint LE MEARS Locative At the lake LEADBETTER Occupational A lead beater (roofer) LEE Locative At the clearing LLOYD Nickname Grey/hoary (Welsh) LOOKER Occupational A herdsman LOVICK LOWE Locative At the hill/burial mound LUNSFORD Locative From Lunsford, Sussex LUSTY Nickname Stout/valourous LYONS Patronymic Son of Lion MADDEN Patronymic (O'Madden) Son of Madden (dog) (Irish) MAHER Patronymic (O'Meagher) Son of Meagher (hospitable) (Irish) MARKHAM Locative At the homestead on the boundary MARTIN Patronymic Little Mark (from Mars, god of war) MARTINEAU Patronymic Little Mark (from Mars, god of war) (French) MATHEWS Patronymic Son of Mathias (gift of God) (Hebrew) McGARRETT Patronymic Son of McKNIGHT Patronymic Son of the knight McLEAN Patronymic Son of the devotee of St. John McLENNAN Patronymic Son of the devotee of St. Finian McLEOD Patronymic Son of Ugly McMILLAN Patronymic Son of the tonsured one McMURRAY Patronymic Son of Murray (from the County of Moray) McRAE Patronymic (McRaith) Son of Grace/prosperity McTAGGART Patronymic Son of the priest MERRICK Patronymic (Meyrick) Son of Maurice (moorish/swarthy) MICHELL Patronymic Son of Michael MILLER Occupational A miller MILNER Occupational A miller MITCHELL Patronymic Son of Michael MOCUMBLE MOORE Patronymic Son of Maur (Dark) MORELL Patronymic Son of little Maur MORRISSEY Patronymic (O'Morrissey) Son of Muiris MOSTYN Locative At the field of the fortress (Welsh) MOUNDS Locative MOUNSLOW NEILL Patronymic (Neal) Son of Champion NEW Nickname Newcomer NOBLE Nickname Noble NOWELL Patronymic (Noel) Son of Christmas O'BRIEN Patronymic Son of Brian ODGERS Patronymic Son of Odger (Wealth Spear [Germanic]) OLIVE Patronymic Son of Olive OSLAND PALMER Nickname Pilgrim( brought a palm branch from the Holy Land PARTRIDGE Nickname A partridge PARTRIDGE Occupational A catcher of partridges PEARCE Patronymic (Piers) Son of Peter (rock) (Hebrew) PEARSON Patronymic Son of Peter (rock) (Hebrew) PECK Locative At the peak PECKHAM Locative At the homestead by the peak PEPPER Occupational A pepperer/dealer in pepper PHILLIPS Patronymic Son of Phillip PHIPPS Patronymic Son of Phillip PITTMAN Locative Dweller at the pit (hollow/excavation) POCOCK Nickname (Peacock) Gaudy/conceited QUINT REDMAN Locative From Redmain Cumberland REDMAN Occupational A reed cutter RICHES Patronymic Son of Richard (Powerful Brave) (Germanic) ROBERTSON Patronymic Son of Robert ROBINS Patronymic Son of little Robert RODWELL Locative Sping in a clearing RULE Patronymic Son of Raoul RYE Locative From Rye, Sussex SCHMIDT Occupational A smith (metal worker) SCHOFIELD Locative (Scholfield)At the field with a hut SCOTT Locative From Scotland SHAW Locative Copse/thicket/small wood SHEARER Occupational A clipper of cloth SHEATHER Occupational A maker of sword sheaths SIMMS Patronymic Son of little Simon SMITH Occupational Metal worker SMITHRAM SPARK Nickname Bright/lively SPARKE Nickname Bright/lively STANDEN Locative At the stony woodland pig pasture STOSSER SUMMERS Patronymic (Sumpter) Son of a muleteer/packhorse man SUNDERLAND Locative At the separate land SVENSON Patronymic Son of Sven TANDY Patronymic Son of little Andrew TAYLOR Occupational A tailor TESTER Nickname Big head THISTLETON Locative At the place of the thistles THOMPSON Patronymic Son of Thomas THORNTON Locative At the place of (haw)thorns THORPE Locative At the outlying dairy farm TOWNS Locative At the farm/village/town TREFFORD Locative At the place at the ford (Cornish) TREGLOAN TUCKER Occupational A "fuller" or "walker" of cloth TURNBULL Nickname Could turn a bull TYREL Patronymic Son of Thorold TYSON Nickname A "firebrand" UNDERHILL Locative At the foot of the hill VANSTON Locative At Fane's (Glad/eager) farm VILE Nickname (Vial) Vital WADE Patronymic Son of Wade (to go) WALLER Locative At the wall WALLER Occupational A builder of walls WARD Occupational Guard/watchman WARDLE Locative At the lookout hill WARREN Locative From La Varenne, France WATERS Patronymic Son of Walter WEARNE WEBER Occupational A weaver WERTMANN Nickname Worthy man (German) WEYMOUTH Locative At the mouth of the Wey WHYBIN WICKHAM Locative At the homestead with a dairy farm WICKS Locative At the Dairy farm WILLARD Patronymic Son of Will /resolve Bold (Germanic) WILLIAMS Patronymic Son of William (Will/resolve Helmet) (Germanic) WILLS Patronymic Son of little William WINTON Locative At Wine's (Friend) farm WITHERS Locative At the willows WOOD Locative At the wood WRIGHT Occupational A builder
© 1997 standen@aardvark.apana.org.au
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